Mark Woods took his whippet Walnut for his last walk on the beach before the 18-year-old dog was put down

The whippet helped owner Mark Woods through his struggles, with the dog capturing the heart of the nation.

But Walnut's ill-health meant the pup collapsed several times, with his owner making the heart-wrenching decision to put the pooch down.

He made a heart-felt plea for dog-lovers to join him for the pair's last walk, writing on his Facebook: "He has had an incredible life and having reached the grand age of 18 is ready for his final sleep".

Walnut captured the hearts of the nation after his owner shared his inspiring story

Paw-fect

A spokesperson for The Ethical Record Label (TERL) told The Sun Online: "We have been overwhelmed with the positive response that the record has had, not least from national media and people from all over the world.

"We created the song, as a simple way of showing our support, and raising money for a charity close to both Mark and TERL’s hearts."

SWNS:South West News Service

Walnut passed away over the weekend with a charity single released in his honour

The label has not registered the song to be included in the Official Charts, saying they instead wanted to focus on the "real purpose" of its release.

"TERL would like to say a massive thank you to the huge amount of people who have shown their support for Walnut through The Ethical Record Label and the release.'